*Cover art (and Fidget) by mellowhen


“There you go, Jasper. Now, don’t go picking fights with crabs anymore.”


The ruffled seagull gave a grateful caw, flapped his newly-mended wings, and took off into the sky. Crystal sat and watched him go, a small smile on her face, as he rejoined his brethren circling around in the air. She could practically hear them berating him for being reckless. This wasn’t the first time that seagull had bitten off more than he could chew, and it wouldn’t be the last, either.


She looked out over the Anicordian Sea, sparkling in the sun, its waves lapping against the sand at her feet. It was funny to think that, 3 years ago, she’d landed in this very sea, a frightened little girl of 10 without a word of English to speak. Syren had fixed that linguistic shortcoming, and she, Turbo, and Fhey had helped her open up and be brave. All throughout that Ironscale business, she’d shouldered a much older animal’s burdens when she had been only 10, and now here she was, mere days away from her 13th birthday.


She looked down at herself. How odd to think how little she noticed the change in her appearance until now, when the rest of her friends, much older than she was, still looked nearly the same. She still had the same light blue skin, dark blue eyes, and long pink bellapinnas running down the back of her head, but she was taller now, and a bit slimmer. She still had a noticeably plump belly, generously filled with her favorite chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of Carmella Vulpe or Miss Cherry Stemm. She still enjoyed wearing yellow, but was more accustomed to pants nowadays, rather than shorts. She also still went everywhere barefoot, as she never did like wearing shoes. She liked to think she was still the same Crystal Sapphurai, even if she didn’t look the same.


She looked up at the cloud-spotted sky now. As they often did, her thoughts strayed toward her father, the man who gave up his life so that she could live. It seemed so long ago, and yet the memory was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. The alarms. The crash outside. Her father shoving her into a pod. His face disappearing as a dark shape loomed over him.


She squeezed her eyes shut, and a tear leaked out. It still hurt to remember how she’d lost him. They had been together on that ship for 10 years. 10 happy, wonderful years. And now…


And yet, now that she came to think about it, there was something about that that puzzled her. That ship had been their home for 10 years. Always, they’d been drifting through the stars, stopping only at certain planets, and even then, she could remember only having brief glances. But why had they been living on that ship if they’d been able to stop at other planets? All that her father had said was that he had been assigned a ‘secret mission’ from Planet Amber, one that might take years. At the time, Crystal had accepted it without question, but nowadays…


Did this mean there were more Amberites out there? A planet-full, in fact? How could she get in contact with them again?...


“Cryssy! Lunch!”


Crystal was jerked out of her reverie. That was Syren’s voice.


“Coming!”


She stood up and made for the steps made in the cliff, straight up to the lighthouse that was her and Syren’s home. It had been built as a special project by Mayor Vulpe, Turbo’s mother, since Syren’s last home in the grotto under the cliff had been wrecked the night they had set out so long ago. Plus, its guiding light helped ships and vessels along at night. She liked it better this way, as she had much better access to her friends, and still enjoyed a wonderful view of the sea. To Crystal, there was no better home.


***


Syren was in the kitchen when Crystal came in, stirring a pot of pasta while a saucepan full of alfredo sauce bubbled beside it. The passing years had done less to change her than they had the young Amberite. She was still the same slender, fit vixen she had been when the two had first met, more comfortable in swimsuits than normal clothing. However, she had preserved her old tunic in her closet, as a reminder of their adventure. Even if she didn’t wear it anymore, she still felt a kind of fondness towards it, something she couldn’t put into words.


“Mmm, that smells delicious!” said Crystal.


“Sure does,” said Syren. “Carmella told me her recipe for the best alfredo sauce, and the smell alone is amazing! Everything all right out there?”


“Yeah,” said Crystal. “Jasper just got into a fight with another crab.”


“Silly seagull,” sighed Syren. “He just never learns. Last time, he couldn’t even caw for a days after a crab pinched him on the beak. I don’t know what I’m going to do with him...There, that should do it.”


She took the pasta, drained it in a colander placed in the sink, turned the heat down on the sauce, then started ladling big spoonfuls of spaghetti onto two plates, topping them generously with the sauce. Crystal licked her lips in anticipation, her pudgy stomach rumbling. Acting as though she’d heard it, Syren turned to face her, and her face broke into a warm, motherly smile. She put her paws to her shoulders and looked her up and down.


“Look at you,” she said. “Feels like only yesterday that you were just a little Amberite, and now you’re almost 13! I swear you sprouted overnight. But you’re still my sweet little Cryssy.”


She licked Crystal’s cheek, making her giggle.


“Are you sure you don’t want a big party this year?”


“I’m sure,” said Crystal. “Just something with our friends would be nice.”


“We can easily arrange that,” said Syren. “Plus, Toby’s already promised to make the trip.”


Crystal’s face lit up.


“Toby! Oh, it’ll be so good to see him! It’s been months since he was in Fenwood! He’s always so busy lately.”


“Well, from what Turbo’s told me,” said Syren, “his dad’s training him to be a knight like him, for the day when he comes of age. He’s very zealous about it.”


“Don’t I know it?” said Crystal, with a playful roll of the eyes.


The two sat down, and Syren served the pasta. Though both dug in with gusto, Crystal seemed to lose steam as she finished, slowing down until she was reduced to tracing patterns in the remaining sauce with her fork. Her mind had strayed back to what she had been thinking about before being called in. Syren looked up, faintly troubled at Crystal’s lack of attention.


“Cryssy?” she asked. “Is everything ok?”


“Mm?” asked Crystal, stirring back into awareness. “Oh! Yeah, of course.”


“Was that pasta all right?”


“It was delicious. It’s just...well, I’ve been thinking.”


“Yes?”


“I was thinking about Dad, and about the other Amberites. I couldn’t help wondering why we lived on that spaceship for so long. Why I never saw any other Amberites. Why they never came looking for us after all this time. I just thought…” She sighed. “I just thought it might be nice to see them again.”


Crystal’s eyes moved down to her plate, missing the look on Syren’s face: a mixture of pity...and apprehension. When she looked up again, Syren had hitched a smile back on, though a closer observer might have noticed it was rather fixed.


“Well, sweetie, if you want,” she said, in a would-be calm voice, “I can talk to Henry about it, see if he can’t arrange something.”


Glumness switched to eagerness on the Amberite’s face as though flipped by a switch.


“Do you think he could?”


“I’m hard-pressed to think of anything he can’t do,” said Syren, shrugging. “Something like this ought to be a piece of cake for him.”


“Oh, Syren, thank you! That would be the best gift ever!”


She jumped up, went straight to Syren’s side, and hugged her tight, pressing her cheek against her’s. A fleeting look of guilt flitted across the young vixen’s face, but she drew her arm around Crystal to complete the hug.


“Well, I’m gonna go feed Barnaby,” said Crystal, pulling away again.


“All right,” said Syren. “Just be careful not to overfeed him. You spoil that big boy sometimes.”


Crystal just stuck out her tongue in a silly way, then left the kitchen, closing the front door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Syren got up, went to the telephone sitting on the counter, and dialed hurriedly. After several seconds,


“Hello? Henry? Hi, it’s Syren! ...I’m all right, how are you? ...Oh, really? That sounds great! Listen, there’s something really important I need to ask you. It’s about Crystal...No, she’s fine...Yes, she’s looking forward to her birthday, can’t wait to see everyone...Well, the thing is...she started talking about her dad, and about the other Amberites...She wished she could see them again… ...I know, I know...I told her you might be able to arrange something...What was I supposed to say?!...All right, I’m sorry, it’s just, you know… ...You think so?...”


***


The day just before her birthday, Crystal was walking along the shoreline, still preoccupied in her thoughts about Amberites. She had said nothing more about it to Syren, but the idea of Henry being able to find a way to get her back in contact with them was wonderful! If there was anyone who could make that happen, it was Henry Kuwack.


All of a sudden, she was jerked out of her thoughts by a strange sight: a figure stretched out on the sand, as though asleep.


A figure with bellapinnas.


Could it be…? Another Amberite? Crystal broke into a run, her heart pounding in her chest. So soon! To think it could happen so soon!


“Maru, ami Amberite! Meyan Crystal Sapphurai!”


The figure sat up and turned.


“What ‘choo callin’ me?”


Crystal skidded to a halt, feeling a sudden check in her excitement. It looked like she’d made a mistake.


This girl wasn’t an Amberite, and yet she was one of the strangest creatures Crystal had ever seen. She somewhat resembled an Amberite. She had large fin-like appendages running down her head and back just like her, at any rate. However, instead of blue, her skin was black with white spots, white on the inside of her fin-things, on her stomach, and on her muzzle. The only hair she had was some yellow bangs on her forehead, tipped with green. She was very chubby, with a great, bare potbelly and plump hips. She was wearing an orange tube top and short-shorts, and she even had orange eye shadow. She had a long, pointed tail, with a barb on it. She had a lazy, carefree look about her, but now she was eyeing Crystal suspiciously.


“You drunk or somethin’?” asked the creature. “Or you foreign? Never heard that kinda talk before.”


She had a boyish voice, with a very thick Cockney or Australian accent, sort of like Toby.


“I...I beg your pardon,” said Crystal, bowing hastily. “I only thought-”


“‘Choo bowin’ for?” asked the creature, raising an eyebrow. “You a princess or somethin’?”


“N-No,” said Crystal. “My name’s Crystal Sapphurai.”


“Crystal Sapphurai?” asked the creature. “Weren’t you one of ‘em who got rid of Ironscale few years ago?”


“Yes!” said Crystal, slightly surprised. “You know about that?”


“‘Course I know. Word spreads fast in the ocean. M’name’s Fidget. Fidget Skedaddle.”


“Nice to meet you, Miss Fidget,” said Crystal, politely.


“‘Ey, none of that ‘miss’ stuff,” said Fidget, tersely. “Just Fidget is fine. Or Fidge.”


“O-Ok,” said Crystal, not entirely sure how she was supposed to deal with this stranger. “I’m sorry.”


“S’ok,” said Fidget. “So, what were y’shoutin’ about?”


“I just thought you were another Amberite, is all.”


“Wha’s an Amberite?” asked Fidget. “Is it food?”


“N-No!” said Crystal, suddenly filled with an anxious hope that this creature wasn’t a carnivore, especially with a belly that large. “I’m one. Amberites are empaths. We can sense emotions and heal injuries.”


“Huh,” said Fidget. “Neat. Well, sorry t’dash yer hopes, but I ain’t one. I’m an eagle ray.”


“You’re a ray?” Crystal asked, slightly skeptical now. “Um, forgive me, but I’ve seen rays before, and-”


“I know, I know,” said Fidget, waving an airy hand. “No one else ever thinks I am. I get it from m’dad. He didn’t look like a fish, either. ‘S jest been me by meself for a while now.”


“Oh.”


That was all she could say. She didn’t know whether to say ‘sorry’, or that it was interesting, or what. It reminded her very much of her own situation…


After a few seconds, Fidget, whose face contorted strangely for a moment, grunted,


“Y’said you heal stuff?”


“Yes,” said Crystal, glad for a change of subject.


“Can y’eal stomachaches? I ‘ad a bad oyster. Didn’t know they were outta season.”


Her face worked again, and Crystal now realized that it was from pain. A wave of that same pain swept through her bellapinnas: a dull, persistent pain that made her want to whimper. How hadn’t she noticed it before?


“Yes, of course I can,” she said, crossing over. “I’d be more than happy to heal you.”


She knelt down beside Fidget, then hesitated.


“S’matter? I know I smell like fish. I am a fish.”


“No, it’s not that,” said Crystal. “It’s just, I wanted to be sure you don’t mind me touching your belly. I don’t want to be impolite.”


“Aw, that don’t matter to me,” said Fidget, waving her hand dismissively. “Y’got me permission.”


Crystal placed her hands on the large belly. It was extremely cushy and flabby, like a melted marshmallow. It rumbled angrily beneath her, and another stab of pain went through her bellapinnas. She closed her eyes, and let her healing warmth spread down her arms, through her palms, and wash over the swollen abdomen beneath her fingers. Within seconds, she could feel the pain disappearing, until at last, it was gone. A sigh of contentment told her Fidget could feel the results as well. She opened her eyes again, and could see the eagle ray grinning at her.


“Thanks a bunch,,” she said. “Yer a good kid.”


She raised her fist and gave Crystal a punch on the shoulder. It wasn’t hard, but it still felt tender to the touch.


“Happy to help,” said Crystal, still a bit bemused by Fidget’s demeanor.


“Now that that’s fixed, I can get swimmin’ again.”


She heaved herself ponderously to her feet. She was barely as tall as Crystal standing up. Indeed, she seemed wider than she was tall.


“Will I be able to see you again?” Crystal asked.


“Maybe,” shrugged Fidget. “I’ll see if I can visit sometime. I owe ya one, anyway. See ya around, Crys.”


“Goodbye, Fidget.”


With that, Fidget turned toward the water and, with surprising agility and grace, dove in, disappearing beneath the waves with a loud splash. Crystal could just barely see her as a dark shape beneath the water, swimming away, until finally, she was gone.


“Well, that was...interesting,” she said. “She’s a little weird, but kind of nice, too. I hope I do get to see her again. Now, where was I?”


And so, she started off again down the beach, her mind full of thoughts of Amberites and her father once again...


***


*knock-knock-knock*


“Oh! They’re here!”


Syren hurried to the front door, Crystal right behind her. The lighthouse had already been cleaned, tidied, and decorated with colorful streamers and balloons, the latter all bearing the number ‘13’. Syren threw open the door, grinning from ear to ear, to find Turbo, Eclipse, Henry, Jack, and Fhey all standing outside, bearing gifts.


“Happy birthday, Starshine!”


“Hiya, birthday girl!”


“Happy birthday, Cryssy!”


“Come in, everyone!” said Syren.


Everyone filed in. Crystal beamed at them all, her heart practically dancing behind her ribs at the sight of all of her friends, together again. They all crowded around, hugging her, patting her on the back, giving her kisses on the cheek and forehead.


“It’s so good to see you again, sweetie,” said Fhey. “13 years old! Has it really been 3 years already?”


“13’s a big year, my girl,” said Henry, sagely. “A real milestone. When I first met you, you were the ‘big one-oh’. Now you’re the big ‘one-three’. ...Funny how that doesn’t have the same ring to it.”


“Ah can hardly believe it maself,” said Jack. “Why, Ah still remember when you were just a little thing, Cryssy. ‘Course, a lot of animals are little things when yer a bear, Ah guess.”


Crystal giggled.


“It feels like forever since we were all together,” said Turbo. “You all look great! Fhey, have you been losing weight?”


“I have, actually!” said Fhey, smiling. “I’m still not exactly thin, but when my robes started getting way too tight, I knew it was time for a change. You look great yourself.”


“Thank Eclipse for that,” said Turbo, returning the smile. “She dragged me into her training regimen.”


“Oh, don’t be a drama queen,” said Eclipse, rolling her eyes playfully. “We both agreed we ought to be ready if something else ever came up. How are you going to wield Rencroc like your dad did if you let your muscles turn to flab?”


“Fair point,” Turbo consented. “That’s my girl, always looking out for me,” he added, pecking her on the cheek.


“Well, everyone, I think we’re all here,” said Henry. “What say we get this party started?”


“Oh, but,” Crystal said.


She had been looking around while all of this had been going on, and there was one face in the crowd she didn’t see.


“Syren, didn’t you say Toby was coming too?”


“Yes, he promised,” said Syren, wonderingly. “I can’t understand what’s keeping him…”


Then, all of a sudden, a pair of paws clapped themselves around Crystal’s eyes, making her jump.


“Guess ‘oo, Cryssy!”


She knew that voice all too well.


“Toby!”


She whirled around, and there he was. He, like her, had grown quite a bit over the last few years. He was a taller and slimmer possum, though it was easy to see the muscle in his arms from his sword training. Crystal threw her arms around him in a tight hug, which he readily reciprocated.


“‘Appy birthday!”


“Oh, Toby, it’s so good to see you! How did you sneak up on me like that?”


“I snuck around when everyone else was crowdin’ ‘round. Thought it might make a good cover.”


Crystal cast an amused eye at the others, who all tried to look innocent. They’d been in on it, it seemed.


“You look ‘mazing, Crys. Still got that little tummy, eh?”


“Yeah,” said Crystal, giggling. “I’m afraid so. But look at you! Mr. Knight-in-Training, I hear.”


“Heheh,” chuckled Toby. “Won’t be long now, I promise ya. I’ll be the youngest knight ever to join the Order, you wait an’ see!”


He flexed one arm and drew a very familiar wooden sword with the other. The room was full of good-natured laughter at this display.


“And a fine knight you’ll be, Toby,” said Turbo. “As sure as Crystal will be the best nurse Anicordia ever saw.”


Crystal smiled glowingly.


“Well, then, everyone,” said Henry, “now that we really are all here, what say we get this party started!”


There was no need to ask anyone twice on that account. The party was in full swing after that. There were games, music, dancing, stories, and jokes. Everyone was having the time of their lives, congratulating Crystal for her 13th birthday, and none of them had ever seen her looking so happy, as she danced, sang, and laughed along with them all.


However, at one point, Syren asked Henry to come away privately with her, after he had just performed an over-the-top karaoke performance of ‘We Are the Champions’. He followed her into the kitchen as Turbo and Eclipse got up to perform ‘Summer Nights’. It was the perfect cover for a private conversation.


“Are you still sure about this?” Syren asked.


Henry swallowed hard, and nodded.


“I know she’s probably not going to take it well, especially since some of us knew for years, but I still stand by what I said. She’s not a kid anymore. I think she deserves the truth. And besides, she has to find out some way or other.”


“I know,” said Syren, sadly. “It just hurts to think...She’s so happy now.”


“Better to do it at the very end, and let her enjoy herself before it,” said Henry. “How would it have looked to just step through the door and say, ‘Hey! Happy birthday, Crystal! By the way, you’re the only Amberite left!’”


“Henry!” hissed Syren, reproachfully.


“What? I’m being realistic. Besides, I have something that’ll hopefully make it better. My birthday gift for her besides the truth.”


Syren was about to enquire further, but the door swung open, and there stood Crystal.


“What are you guys doing in here?” she asked, innocently. “You’re missing the karaoke!”


“We’ll be right there, sweetie!” said Syren.


“Yeah, Syren just wanted my opinion on the, er, the...cheese balls!” said Henry, improvising. “When it comes to hors devours, I’m something of an authority.”


“Ok, then,” said Crystal, and she left.


“Since when were you an expert on party food?” asked Syren, paws on her hips.


“Since I attended Madame Henpeck’s summer gala last year,” said Henry, disgustedly. “Worst. Menu. Ever.”


***


After dinner and cake (a chocolate ganache made by Carmella Vulpe herself), there came the presents. Crystal was very pleased with the turnout. Turbo had gotten her a keepsake album , containing photos of her and her friends, showing their progression over the years. From Eclipse, a new yellow sun hat and dress. An enormous box of homemade chocolate cookies came from Jack and his wife Tessie. Fhey had made arrangements with one of her cousins, who was into magical botany, to get her a special flower whose petals changed color as the day went on. Toby, who was surprisingly adept at whittling, had carved a statue of her out of wood; granted, it was how he had remembered her last, but she liked it all the same. Syren, for her part, had fashioned a locket out of a particularly beautiful bivalve shell, containing a photo of the two of them together. She had barely finished hugging Syren for this when Henry cleared his throat.


“Well, Crystal, I think we can all agree that we saved the best for last.”


Fhey rolled her eyes. Even after all this time, she still found Henry’s moments of vanity irritating.


He passed over a bulky, cubish present to Crystal, who opened it up eagerly. Inside was what looked like another photo album. However, as she opened it up, her eyes opened wide, and her mouth fell open. The others leaned in, and they too, apart from Turbo, looked astounded.


Inside this album were photographs not of Crystal or her fellow Anicordians, but of Amberites. There were strongly-built, fit Amberitian males, many of them carrying mining equipment. There were plump, docile Amberitian females, tending to gardens, cooking, or tending to little Amberitian children. The landscapes of Planet Amber were lush, green, and beautiful. The soil seemed to sparkle, as though stars were embedded in it.


“An old friend of mine came upon Planet Amber,” said Henry. “A cosmonaut named Igor Goosetav. He gave me those photos before he died and, well, I thought now was the time for you to have them. Do you like them?”


Crystal looked up. Her eyes were shining and wet.


“Like them?” she breathed. “Henry, I love them! This is so thoughtful!”


She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her.


“Do you think we can go up and see the planet sometime? I mean, I know you’re busy with a lot of other things, but maybe?”


Henry looked mighty awkward at this suggestion. He looked at the others, who were exchanging wary glances, Turbo, Syren, and Fhey looking especially guilty. Toby looked puzzled.


“We’ll talk about it, honey,” said Henry, giving her a pat on the back, and she finally released him.


Crystal’s face was absolutely radiant as she hugged the album to her chest. Everywhere, the smiles on everyone’s faces had become more or less fixed. No one could deny the sweet gesture in giving her the album, but her suggestion of visiting the planet itself…That was another story.


***


Nothing more was said on the subject of the album or the other Amberites for the rest of the party, and things passed more or less back into normalcy, though Crystal was in even better spirits than before. If anything, it made Henry’s smile even more fixed and awkward. The time was coming soon, but not yet. He had to wait until everyone else was gone…


At last, as it reached 9 o’clock, everyone seemed to unanimously decide that the party was officially over. They helped pick up the place, despite Syren’s instance that she could handle it herself, and soon had it looking straight and neat again. As it was so late, Jack, Henry, Toby. and Fhey had decided to spend the night at the Copper Tod inn before setting for home again. The young possum would have loved to stay longer, but he still had a lot to do back at home, though he promised to come back as soon as he could.


“Hoo-wee!” breathed Jack. “Ah haven’t had that much fun since mah last family reunion. G’night, y’all! Happy birthday, Crystal!”


“Good night and happy birthday, Crystal!”


“See you later, Cryssy!”


Turbo, Eclipse, Jack, Toby, and Fhey left the lighthouse, bidding goodbye and goodnight to Syren and Crystal. Only Henry remained behind. He looked at Syren, who nodded. He cleared his throat.


“Crystal, could you come with me, please?” he asked. “I want a private word with you.”


“Huh? Sure.”


Puzzled, Crystal followed Henry upstairs into her bedroom, whereupon Syren shut the door behind them, looking anxious. The two sat themselves on Crystal’s bed, the young Amberite placing her new book in her lap.


“What is it, Henry? What did you want to talk about?”


Henry took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his beak with two fingers. He looked much older, more tired. Crystal didn’t like that look; it made her feel like something was wrong.


“Sweetie,” Henry said, at last, “you know I’m your friend, right? I would do anything within my power to help you, if you were in need. Heck, we all would.”


“Uh-huh,” said Crystal.


“Well, it seems now that you are in need. In need of information.”


Crystal tilted her head to the side, even more puzzled. He sighed heavily before proceeding.


“You’re not a child anymore, Crystal. You asked me a perfectly honest question, one you had a right to know the answer to, and I’m not going to deny you that answer. I only hope that you will forgive me for what I’m about to say…”


Crystal really didn’t like where this was going. What was Henry talking about?


“...You, Crystal Sapphurai, are the last of the Amberites.”


A swelling, billowing silence fell over the room, as though a shadow had descended upon it. Crystal stood as if turned to stone, blank disbelief on her pudgy face. She couldn’t possibly have heard that right. It had to be a joke.


After several seconds, Henry said,


“Bear in mind, not everyone knows this. Only those who studied Amberitian lore were privvy. My old friend, Igor Goosetav, in particular, was deeply invested. He made it his mission to see Planet Amber and observe its people. He was there to see it and take those photos in your album, before...before its final days…”


He paused, and seemed to be collecting his nerve. Finally, he said,


“It was about 12 years ago. Planet Amber, at that time, was a lush, prosperous planet, and the Amberites were happy and healthy, just as they look in those photos. ...Sadly, no good thing is meant to last forever, and the peaceful days of Amber came to an end with the arrival of the Sharuk.”


An unpleasant chill ran down Crystal’s spine at these words. In a chamber of her mind, that word seemed to echo across time, an echo spoken in her father’s voice.


“Sharuk...Sharuk…”


“They’d heard about the wealth of Amber, and wanted it for themselves,” said Henry. “They tried to take control, but several Amberites stood up to them and forced them back. In retaliation, the Sharuk…”


Henry swallowed hard, and his eyes looked overbright.


“They...left none alive on the planet…All of them are gone...You were lucky enough to escape, it seems. All that’s left now is an empty planet...”


An even deeper silence fell over the room. Crystal sat as still as a waxwork, mouth hanging open, eyes wide and staring straight ahead, as though looking at a point beyond Henry.


“I’m sorry, sweetie,” said Henry, heavily. “That’s the truth of it. As much as I hate to say it, you’re the last of the Amberites...but we’re very fortunate that you survived. None of us could have ever asked for a better friend than you.”


He put on a placating smile, but the response to it was not at all pleasant. Crystal stood up, the book falling to the floor. Her face suddenly hardened, glowering at Henry, her eyes beginning to fill with angry tears. The middle-aged duck edged back in apprehension. Adorable Amberite though she was, she was intimidating when she was angry.


“You knew…” she breathed. “You knew all this time, and you never told me…You even had a book full of pictures of them, of Amberites I’m never going to know, and you kept it from me! How could you, Henry?”


“Crystal, listen,” said Henry, imploringly, “you were still a child when I met you, and you’d only just been separated from your father! What kind of a man would I be if I laid something so horrid on a 10-year-old? How could any of us have told you the truth then and there?”


“Any of you?” Crystal asked, sharply. “You mean you all knew?!”


Henry clapped a wing to his beak, a guilty look on his face. It was clear he’d never meant to let this slip.


“W-Well, when I say ‘any of us’,” Henry stammered, sweat beading his brow. “I-I mean to say, not all of us knew!”


“But you still knew,” growled Crystal, her hands crackling with pink energy.


Henry gulped.


“I thought you were all supposed to be my friends! What kind of friends keep secrets from each other? Every Amberite except for me is dead, and you never told me! My own father wouldn’t tell me! He kept it from me too, and now he’s gone! Why was everyone so determined to keep the truth from me?! Just because I was a child?! Did you all think I couldn’t handle it?! That it wasn’t a big deal that they’re all gone?! That I could go on with my life never knowing the truth about my own kind, never knowing I’m the only one left?!”


“No! That was never-”


“Well, congratulations!” Crystal interrupted, now practically screaming. “Now I know there’s no one else like me out there anymore! I’m just a freak in a minority of one! Alone! Completely, utterly alone! Happy birthday to me!”


Her voice broke, and tears began to spill down her cheeks as she shut her eyes, collapsing onto her knees on the floor, her whole body shaking with sobs. Henry just sat there, a look of deep hurt on his face. At last, he stood up, crossed over to her, and put a wing on her shoulder. Thankfully, she didn’t throw him off.


“Crystal…” he muttered. “I...I know you’re hurt, and you have every right to be angry...We just did what we thought was best for you...We didn’t want you to react like this, not when you were so young…”


“...Just go away, Henry,” Crystal whispered. “I want to be alone…”


Henry regarded her sorrowfully for a second or two, nodded, then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him, and leaving the last of the Amberites to cry, the joy of her 13th birthday long forgotten...


***


For days after that night, Crystal stayed in her room, lying curled up on her bed. She didn’t leave the lighthouse, and she only grudgingly accepted food when it was brought to her, when her stomach simply couldn’t take any more waiting. Beyond that, however, she did not look at or speak to Syren. Syren, for her part, was keeping her distance. She wanted to comfort Crystal, but she also didn’t want her to explode at her too. After all, she’d kept the secret too.


Crystal didn’t know what to think anymore. On the one hand, she was furious with her friends for keeping her in the dark so long, denying her the truth, just because she’d been ‘too young’ to take it or to understand. She’d trusted them, and they hadn’t trusted her. Not even her own father had told her the truth! At times like this, she was angry with him, and would have dearly loved to give him a piece of her mind. She even had half a mind to take Henry’s album and throw it out the window.


No...she couldn’t do that. It was all she had left of them. She didn’t want to lose what little she had. Besides, in a way, she could understand why they had wanted to keep it a secret. They were trying to look out for her, to spare her feelings. They’d known she would take it badly if she knew. She reflected, ruefully, that she had taken it badly, but could anyone blame her? They didn’t have to know what it felt like to be the last of your own kind. They were living in a country full of their own kind, while she was alone, isolated, the last one alive...The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes.


All she wanted was to be left alone, to think things over. She didn’t want to see anyone she might blow up at, especially her own friends. She loved them too much to want to be angry with them...


***


Three days after Crystal’s birthday, she was still showing no signs of coming out. Turbo and Eclipse were sitting in the kitchen with Syren, their faces somber as they sat holding undrunk cups of coffee. Syren’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy-looking, staring blearily down at the table, not making eye contact with her friends.


“What am I going to do?...” she muttered. “How can I face her after what she’s had to go through? She doesn’t even look at me when I bring her meals in her room. She must hate me…”


“She doesn’t hate you, Syren,” said Eclipse, firmly. “That’s ridiculous.”


“Well, she should,” said Syren. “I took her in when she had nowhere else to go. I’m the closest thing she has to a guardian, and I betrayed her trust…”


“We all did, Syren,” said Turbo. “You’re not the only guilty one here. We all knew about what really happened, except for Toby. I know she doesn’t really hate you, or any of us. It’s a really hard blow for her to take, knowing she’s the only one of her kind left.”


Syren sniffed.


“Just like how I felt,” she murmured. “When I was a little girl, I felt like I was the only one of me out there. No other fox in Fenwood had blue fur or could talk to fish. I felt like the only creatures I could relate to were my sea friends...until I met you, Turbo.”


Turbo reached across the table and gently squeezed her paw.


“Poor Cryssy…” she said. “It’s just so awful...being all alone…”


“But she isn’t alone,” said Eclipse. “She’ll never be alone. She has you.”


Syren wiped her eyes with her free paw.


“Thanks, Eclipse...but I still don’t know what to do.”


“Maybe you should try talking to her,” said Eclipse. “She’s never going to get past this until you talk it over.”


“Me? Am I really the best animal to do that?”


“You said yourself you’re the closest thing to a guardian to her,” said Turbo. “You’re the only one who can talk to her about this, Syren.”


Syren swallowed, still looking unconvinced. Then, the sound of footsteps on the stairs made them all start. They looked up, and there stood Crystal, not looking at any of them, her eyes to the floor. There was an awkward silence.


“Hey, Starshine,” said Turbo, gently.


“‘Lo,” muttered Crystal.


“Did you need something? Were we talking too loud?”


“No. I’m just going for a walk.”


“Oh. All right, then.”


She shuffled past them and out the door, all three of them watching her go. Turbo and Eclipse looked at Syren, who looked even more miserable. She met their eyes, and there was a resolute light in hers.


“...When she comes back, I’ll talk to her,” she said, firmly. “I can’t let her keep doing this to herself...I just hope I can go through with it.”


“You can,” said Eclipse, softly. “You’re made of stronger stuff than you think, Syren. You can do this.”


Syren nodded once, then let her eyes stray to the window, even though Crystal was not in view at that moment.


***


Crystal didn’t notice where her feet were carrying her as she went down the makeshift cliff steps onto the sand. To get away, to get out of the claustrophobia of her room, was what she needed. She felt like she should have said something to the three of them, sitting there at the table, but no words had come to her mind. She just needed to get out.


“‘Ey, Cryssy!”


She looked up, surprised. A familiar, bulky figure was sitting at the water’s edge. It was Fidget Skedaddle, and she was munching away at something she was digging out of a blue box.


“Oh. Hi, Fidget. Back so soon?”


“Yeah,” said Fidget, swallowing the mouthful she had. “I kinda like it ‘round ‘ere. Very quiet. Come an’ sit down, why don’tcha?”


Crystal crossed over and seated herself beside the paunchy ray. Up close, she could now see what she was eating.


“Oreos?”


“Can’t get enough of ‘em,” said Fidget, wiping chocolate crumbs from her lips with the back of her arm. “Want some? There’s still a couple left.”


“No thanks.”


“Suit yerself,” shrugged Fidget, popping two more into her mouth.


Crystal just sat there, watching her eat. It wasn’t exactly the peak of diversions, but it was a distraction nonetheless. After a while, Fidget turned to look at her.


“You all right?” she asked, not altogether unkindly. “You look like somethin’s buggin’ ya.”


Crystal sighed.


“Let’s just say I didn’t have the best of birthdays.”


“Aw, ‘at’s a shame,” said Fidget. “I’ve had me share o’ sucky birthdays, believe you me. One year, one of me presents turned out to be a pair o’ used-”


“Your present wasn’t finding out you were the last one of your kind alive, was it?” asked Crystal, coldly.


Fidget stopped short.


“Wuzzat?”


“Turns out I’m the only Amberite left in the entire universe,” said Crystal, bitterly. “A really nice birthday treat, huh? Knowing you’re the only one like you out there, and you stick out like a sore thumb?”


She sat with her chin in her hands, staring moodily out at the ocean. Fidget stared at her for several seconds, a strange look in her eyes. Then, she set her Oreo box aside, took Crystal by the shoulders, and swiveled her so that the two were looking into each other’s eyes.


“Listen, kid, you think you’re the only one with that problem?” she asked. “Look at me. I told ya, no one believes I’m an eagle ray but me. They just think I’m a fat weirdo, a freak o’ nature. They say that, too, in me face.”


“Do they?” asked Crystal, surprised.


“Yeah. The ocean’s fulla jerks. I stopped caring long ago, but it used to ride me somethin’ awful. Made me wanna give ‘em a zap in the bum with me tail.”


Crystal’s eyes drifted to Fidget’s pointed and skinny tail.


“Anyways,” Fidget went on, “as I got older, I realized it’s not worth getting your thong in a knot over what animals think of ya. I’m me, and that’s all that matters. You just tell yerself that, Cryssy.”


“I’m me?” repeated Crystal.


“‘At’s right. Weirdoes like you and me, we gotta look out fer each other.”


Crystal’s brow furrowed at this. She didn’t like being called a ‘weirdo’.


“You get what I mean,” said Fidget, dismissively. “Point is, I know it’s tough, but ye can’t live yer life mopin’ and cryin’ ‘bout it. Would yer Amberites want that?”


Crystal stared back out at the ocean again. Would they? Would her own father want her to spend the rest of her life in gloomy reflection on losing the rest of her own kind? ...No. He wouldn’t have wanted her to wallow in the pity of his own death, and he wouldn’t want her to do the same for the rest of her people. Even if she had never known any other Amberites, she felt sure they would never have wanted that, either. You could see it in those peaceful, carefree faces in those photos.


Those photos...that made her think of Henry, who had given her the book, who had given her the truth. She thought of Turbo, Eclipse, Fhey, Jack...Syren. They had never wanted anything more than the best for her. They were the closest thing to a family she had now. They wouldn’t have wanted her to live the rest of her life this way, and she didn’t want to stay mad at them for something that wasn’t even their fault. They’d always had her best interests at heart, and felt she’d deserved she was old enough to know the truth, even if it was a harsh one.


“...No,” she said, finally. “They wouldn’t. Not them, not my father...and not my friends.”


She turned to look at Fidget, a smile back on her pudgy blue face.


“Thanks, Fidget. I’m glad we had this talk.”


“Don’t mention it,” said Fidget, patting her shoulder. “Guess this makes us even now, eh?”


Crystal giggled. It felt so long since she’d laughed.


“Guess so. I should go, but I’ll see you later, all right?”


“All right. Oh! An’ I know it might be late, but happy birthday.”


Crystal just smiled back, got up, and started hurrying back down the beach, toward the cliff steps, toward home.


“Heh,” chuckled Fidget, watching her go. “She’s a sweet kid.”


She then swallowed the last of the Oreos, shook the crumbs and dregs from the box into her mouth, burped, and lay on her back, dozing off with an obnoxious snore as she rested her hands on her full belly.


***


When Crystal returned to the lighthouse, it was to find that Turbo and Eclipse weren’t in the kitchen anymore, nor was Syren. She went into the living room, and found her vixen friend sitting alone on the couch. She looked up as the Amberite entered, and a brief look of relief came to her face at her brightened visage.


“Hey, Cryssy,” she said, softly.


“Hi,” said Crystal. “Um, Syren, I wanted to talk to you.”


“So did I,” said Syren. “Please, have a seat, sweetie.”


Crystal sat right beside Syren, not looking at her at first. She was trying to come up with the proper words to start, but Syren beat her to it,


“Crystal...I’m so, so sorry…”


Crystal looked up. Syren’s eyes were sparkling with tears.


“What are you sorry for?” Crystal asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”


“But I did,” said Syren, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I knew about what happened...Fhey knew, and she told Turbo and me before we woke you up in that pod, and Henry knew, of course, because of his old friend...You were already hurt from losing your father. How could any of us tell you in good conscience about what happened to the other Amberites? We were just worried it would break you, after everything you’d already endured...We knew it was wrong to keep the truth from you, but we didn’t want to hurt you...especially not me, since you reminded me of myself when I was younger…”


Crystal’s mouth fell open. She’d never heard this before.


“I lost my parents when I was really young,” Syren said, sounding as though she had a bad cold. “Barnaby found me and brought me to Fenwood...The other kids bullied me because of my blue fur, and because I could talk to fish...So I ran away to my sea creature friends. I felt alone, like I was the only one of me out there...That was before I met Turbo, of course. And then I met you. You were just like me when I was a little girl: lost, alone, separated from your family. I didn’t want you to hurt anymore than you already had...Cryssy, I’m sorry…”


She closed her eyes, more tears running down her face. Crystal felt a pang in her bellapinnas and her heart. She’d had no idea…


Sniffling, she put her arms about Syren and hugged her close.


“I’m sorry too, Syren…” she whimpered. “I’m sorry I shut you out...It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. You were just looking out for me...You’ve always been there for me, and I’ve never forgotten that...You’re the only family I have left…”


Syren’s embrace tightened at this, both girls sobbing quietly. At last, they pulled apart, Crystal looking Syren in the eye.


“But I can’t just mope around for the rest of my life,” she said. “Dad wouldn’t have wanted that. The Amberites wouldn’t have wanted that...Even if I can’t see them again, I’ll treasure their memory in that album Henry got me. I might be the last one alive, but that doesn’t make me a freak. I’m me, and that’s all that matters.”


Syren’s lip quivered, then broke into a genuine smile.


“Oh, Cryssy...you really have grown up…”


She licked Crystal’s cheek in a motherly way, and the young Amberite snuggled herself against her fur, like a child at rest after being saved from a nightmare, as Syren held her in her arms.


There would be time for apologies to Henry for yelling at him, even if he had been expecting it. There would be time to some day go to Planet Amber, see it for herself, even if it was uninhabited, pay her last respects to her people. Now, however, she just wanted to stay with her best friend, the truest companion she had ever known, the one who made her feel like more than just a creature from another planet.